X.25 Layers

X.25 protocol specifies three layers:

i. Physical Layer
- specifies the physical interface between the node (computer, terminal) and the link that connected to X.25 network.
- specifies a protocol called X.21

ii. Frame Layer

- provides a reliable data transfer process through data link control which used link access procedure, balanced (LAPB) protocol.
- There are 3 categories of frame involved in the LAPB frame format:
I-Frames – encapsulate PLP packets from the network layer and before being passed to the physical
layer
S-Frames – flow and error control in the frame layer
U-Frames- used to set up and disconnect the links between a DTE and a DCE.
- In the frame layer, communication between a DTE and a DCE involves three phases:
1: Link Setup ; 2: Packet Transfer ; 3: Link Disconnect

iii. Packet Layer Protocol (PLP)

Four types of PLP packet fields exist:
General Format Identifier (GFI)—Identifies packet parameters, such as whether the packet carries
user data or control information, what kind of windowing is being used, and whether delivery
confirmation is required.
Logical Channel Identifier (LCI)—Identifies the virtual circuit across the local DTE/DCE
Interface
Packet Type Identifier (PTI)—Identifies the packet as one of 17 different PLP packet types.
User Data—Contains encapsulated upper-layer information. This field is present only in data
packets. Otherwise, additional fields containing control information are added.

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